Trinity College Alumni

Alumni Reunion 2007

On the 15 and 16 September, a reunion weekend was held at Trinity College to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of female students at Trinity in 1957.

On Saturday, a fantastic day was enjoyed by all, blessed with glorious weather. The weekend’s proceedings started with a buffet lunch in the company of Carmarthen Town’s Mayor. The young Mayor warmly welcomed the pioneering women of 1957 back to Carmarthen with a light hearted poem that compared the ages.

At 2.00pm a service to remember 1957 was held in the College Chapel led by the College Chaplain, The Rev. Ainsley Griffiths. Readings were read by Mrs Sue Davies, Head of Education Studies and Social Inclusion and a past student of Trinity and Principal Dr Medwin Hughes. A musical recital was splendidly delivered by Miss Carys Davies, a second year student, under the guidance of her tutor and accompanist Mr Euros Rhys Evans. The service was followed by an extraordinary convocation to confer honorary fellowships upon Dr Mererid Hopwood and Mr Peter Hughes Griffiths for their contribution to the College and the wider community. Dr Mererid Hopwood was presented with her fellowship by the coordinator of the Creative Writing course Ms Menna Elfyn, also an Honorary Fellow of the College; and the Director of Student Services, the Rev. Tom Evans presented Mr Peter Hughes Griffiths. Greetings were given by the Vice Chair of the College Council, Dr John Walters.

Later in the afternoon, the historians Dr Russell Grigg and Mr Conway Davies held ‘Reflections of Trinity’ where former students were invited to record their memories of Trinity on film. Many remembered their time at Trinity with vivid clarity and paid tribute to others who have sadly passed away or could not attend the celebrations. A DVD of the event is available priced at £17.50, and if you would like a copy please contact Owain Davies, Marketing and Alumni Administrative Officer, on 01267 676767 or by email - alumni@trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk.

After the joyful reminiscing, the Principal guided a tour of the College, where the past students thoroughly enjoyed how the College has changed and developed over the years and how it offers excellent and extensive learning and social facilities for its students. The guests had a viewing of the new Cultural Enterprise and Innovation Centre, ‘Y Llwyfan’, and sighed in awe at the beautiful building and the magnificent views it offered.

The evening dinner held in the Cothi Suite of the Halliwell Centre welcomed the College President, the Rt. Rev. Carl Cooper, who gave a few words of thought before Constance Eileen Edwards (nee King), the first women’s president of the Student Representative Council, expressed her feelings on behalf of the first girls at Trinity. In her speech she noted the uniqueness of their generation in College history. She said “We were almost the last to have any memory of the Second World War and we were the first to have grown up under the Welfare State. We were also the last to have their childhood free from television and were consequently generally well read and articulate. We remembered rationing but were also among the first real teenagers, with our own distinctive clothes – the jeans, duffle coats, luminous socks, waspie waists and starched layers of petticoats. We also enjoyed the type of music our parents hated and had our own magazines and books, creating a distinctive group in society.”

She also commented on misconceptions connected with the first female students – “Myths seem to have developed that youth culture began in the 1960s and that women before the 1970s were not interested in careers. All the women students expected to work. The expectation was that we were embarking on a lifetime career.”

Mrs Edwards’ words were followed by the guest speaker Mr Peter Hughes Griffiths, a former student at the College who was conferred with an Honorary Fellowship of the College during the afternoon. In his speech, he referred to individuals and couples who were present recalling memories of their time at Trinity.

On Sunday morning, a service was held in the College Chapel in the capable hands of the College Chaplain, The Rev. Ainsley Griffiths and was followed by a Carvery Lunch. The late Principal Canon Halliwell’s children, Tom Halliwell and his wife Annie, and his sister Nona Rees were present during Sunday, which was a fitting acknowledgment to their father’s memory and work.

Next year, the College will be celebrating 50 years of the 1958 students, when the late great rugby legend Dewi Bebb was a student at Trinity. Also there is a plea to arrange the attendance of as many students from the 1960s as possible, so if you are a past student of Trinity, or know of anyone who is, please pass on the information regarding the reunion or ask them to get in touch with Owain Davies at the College.

On the 15 and 16 September, a reunion weekend was held at Trinity College to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of female students at Trinity in 1957.

On Saturday, a fantastic day was enjoyed by all, blessed with glorious weather. The weekend’s proceedings started with a buffet lunch in the company of Carmarthen Town’s Mayor. The young Mayor warmly welcomed the pioneering women of 1957 back to Carmarthen with a light hearted poem that compared the ages.

At 2.00pm a service to remember 1957 was held in the College Chapel led by the College Chaplain, The Rev. Ainsley Griffiths. Readings were read by Mrs Sue Davies, Head of Education Studies and Social Inclusion and a past student of Trinity and Principal Dr Medwin Hughes. A musical recital was splendidly delivered by Miss Carys Davies, a second year student, under the guidance of her tutor and accompanist Mr Euros Rhys Evans. The service was followed by an extraordinary convocation to confer honorary fellowships upon Dr Mererid Hopwood and Mr Peter Hughes Griffiths for their contribution to the College and the wider community. Dr Mererid Hopwood was presented with her fellowship by the coordinator of the Creative Writing course Ms Menna Elfyn, also an Honorary Fellow of the College; and the Director of Student Services, the Rev. Tom Evans presented Mr Peter Hughes Griffiths. Greetings were given by the Vice Chair of the College Council, Dr John Walters.

Later in the afternoon, the historians Dr Russell Grigg and Mr Conway Davies held ‘Reflections of Trinity’ where former students were invited to record their memories of Trinity on film. Many remembered their time at Trinity with vivid clarity and paid tribute to others who have sadly passed away or could not attend the celebrations. A DVD of the event is available priced at £17.50, and if you would like a copy please contact Owain Davies, Marketing and Alumni Administrative Officer, on 01267 676767 or by email - alumni@trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk.

After the joyful reminiscing, the Principal guided a tour of the College, where the past students thoroughly enjoyed how the College has changed and developed over the years and how it offers excellent and extensive learning and social facilities for its students. The guests had a viewing of the new Cultural Enterprise and Innovation Centre, ‘Y Llwyfan’, and sighed in awe at the beautiful building and the magnificent views it offered.

The evening dinner held in the Cothi Suite of the Halliwell Centre welcomed the College President, the Rt. Rev. Carl Cooper, who gave a few words of thought before Constance Eileen Edwards (nee King), the first women’s president of the Student Representative Council, expressed her feelings on behalf of the first girls at Trinity. In her speech she noted the uniqueness of their generation in College history. She said “We were almost the last to have any memory of the Second World War and we were the first to have grown up under the Welfare State. We were also the last to have their childhood free from television and were consequently generally well read and articulate. We remembered rationing but were also among the first real teenagers, with our own distinctive clothes – the jeans, duffle coats, luminous socks, waspie waists and starched layers of petticoats. We also enjoyed the type of music our parents hated and had our own magazines and books, creating a distinctive group in society.”

She also commented on misconceptions connected with the first female students – “Myths seem to have developed that youth culture began in the 1960s and that women before the 1970s were not interested in careers. All the women students expected to work. The expectation was that we were embarking on a lifetime career.”

Mrs Edwards’ words were followed by the guest speaker Mr Peter Hughes Griffiths, a former student at the College who was conferred with an Honorary Fellowship of the College during the afternoon. In his speech, he referred to individuals and couples who were present recalling memories of their time at Trinity.

On Sunday morning, a service was held in the College Chapel in the capable hands of the College Chaplain, The Rev. Ainsley Griffiths and was followed by a Carvery Lunch. The late Principal Canon Halliwell’s children, Tom Halliwell and his wife Annie, and his sister Nona Rees were present during Sunday, which was a fitting acknowledgment to their father’s memory and work.

Next year, the College will be celebrating 50 years of the 1958 students, when the late great rugby legend Dewi Bebb was a student at Trinity. Also there is a plea to arrange the attendance of as many students from the 1960s as possible, so if you are a past student of Trinity, or know of anyone who is, please pass on the information regarding the reunion. alumni@trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk